I know, the answer is a lot, but that is not what I am talking about. My problem, I now like A-Rod more than I did before. Why do I support athletes who are tainted in one way or another. I am a huge Barry Bonds supporter, bigger now than I was earlier in his career. I had a "Free The Juice" t-shirt when OJ was on trial the first time (this last time I just didn't care). My current favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant who was accused of rape (he was innocent, but hey adultery is enough). Just so you know, I had a "Free Kobe" shirt as well. I think that this is a reasonable question for me to ask myself. The answer is pretty obvious to anyone who has known me for a long time, but for those of you who have not known me that long, lets take a look at my sports idols growing up.
Dwight Gooden: When I was young, Dr. K was the best pitcher of the time (John, I already know you are going to argue for Clemens, so bring it on). In 1985 Gooden won 24 games, struck out 268 batters and had a 1.53 ERA, while pitching 16 complete games. This could easily be considerd the greatest pitching season of modern baseball times. In 1986, he was 17-6 and struck out 200. Then in 1987 Gooden tested positive for cocaine and was never the same, though it is important to note that it wasn't until 1992 before Gooden had his first losing season. Gooden again tested positive for cocaine in 1994. Gooden made a comeback with the Yankees later in his career, but since 2002 he has been in and out of prison and rehab.
Darryl Strawberry: Plain and simple, The Strawman was the man. He had one of the prettiest swings in baseball and could hit home runs with the best of them. In 1987, Strawberry hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases. In 1988, he hit 39 home runs, drove in 101 and in 1990 he hit another 37 home runs and again drove in over 100 runs. (for you younger folks, 30-40 home runs used to be a lot). Then like Gooden, the real troubles began. In 1995, he was suspended from the league for cocaine use. Sadly, he has been involved in domestic abuse cases, drug use, gun charges, and income taxes issues ever since. Strawberry, like Gooden, has also been in and out of jail and rehab.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson: My man Magic is the best point guard to ever play in the NBA. I idolized Magic and wanted to be exactly like him on the basketball court. For his career, Magic averaged, 19.5 points per game, 11.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds during the regular season. In the playoffs, he averaged 19.5 points, 12.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. Talk about the picture of consistency and big game performance. On November 7, 1991 Magic announced that he had tested positive for HIV and was retiring from basketball. Simply put, I cried. I remember that we were redoing my bed room and my bed was out in the living room and I was studying for a spelling test when I found out. Magic did make a remarkable comeback, but it didn't last that long. Magic admitted that he had had multiple sexual partners during his career, despite being married to his wife Cookie.
These were the men that I looked up to as a kids. Now I never acted the way the did off the court or field. That is not what I learned from them. I still wish I could have Doc's leg kick and Magic's no look pass. So I think that I like guys like A-Rod, Bonds, and Kobe because I learned that it was okay to root for someone one the field that wasn't the best person off the field. Maybe that isn't what parents should be teaching their kids, but I think that it is okay to respect someone for their talents and to some extent feel sorry for them because of their faults. I don't condone Gooden, Strawberry, of Magics' action, but I still long for the days of watching these guys do their thing.
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I won’t get into the Clemens vs. Goodin debate right now only because this won’t be the last time these two names are brought up on this blog. For now, I’ll focus my energy on A-Rod.
ReplyDeleteI watched the A-Rod interview with Peter Gammons last night and need to make a few points.
1. It was a different time in MLB. At the time, MLB never took adequate steps to pro-actively test and enforce their policies. If what we hear is true – that many of the players were supplementing with performance enhancing drugs, then this is MLBs fault for not fixing a poor process. Don’t try to implement what you’re not going to be able to execute and maintain.
2. A-Rod was young, and young people make mistakes. Heck, everyone makes mistakes…so I say - let the perfect person be the one to cast the first stone.
3. Unless you walk in a persons shoes, you cannot have any idea of the pressure A-Rod must have had (and still has) on his shoulders. The pressure to perform, the pressure of being one of the most naturally gifted players in baseball, the pressure of being consistent - good in the box as well as on the field, the pressure of making 250 million dollars. Let’s be realistic…most of us will never undergo pressure of that magnitude. Ever.
4. I felt that he was sorry for his actions and that his point on ‘consistency’ was well taken. Just look at his numbers since he’s came up to the “Bigs”. Joe Torre even stated that he was the most talented player that he’d ever seen.
5. Who is going to mentor a guy making 250 million? No one. Why? Because their take is probably something like this --- “That guy makes more than 10 of us combined, let him figure it out on his own.”
6. In terms of what message this places on the younger generation…Let’s face it – they are use to seeing this kind of stuff. Disappointment is a part of growing up. It’s similar to trying out for a high school or college sports team --- not everyone is going to make the cut. Their will be disappointments. In order to be successful, you must have multiple failures. Bottom Line – sports idols will come and go. The younger generation has an opportunity to learn from him coming out in the open and saying “Hey, you know what…I made a mistake…and now it’s time to move on.”
7. I also feel like he learned something from the other roid users of the past. It’s going to come out eventually, so you might has well tell the truth now. At least, A-Rod is smart enough to understand that much.